| Green Vision |
 At CDSG, we are taking serious steps towards reducing our energy consumption, reducing gross waste produced, recycling what is produced, and reducing our dependence on store-purchased produce.We recycle all our plastic, glass, paper, tin, aluminum, food-program organic waste and livestock organic waste through recycling and composting programs on and off campus. Our parents can and do participate in our community-wide recycling program, which accepts recyclable material from off-campus. We have planted hundreds of trees on our already very green campus, many times with the help or direction of students. In 2009, we started our own organic farm on part of our 15 acre spread of land, using techniques developed in Costa Rica and elsewhere. We also built what we believe is the largest hydroponic, vertical-stacking system greenhouse in Costa Rica to experiment with growing our own produce faster and with less water, and to avoid depending on produce that comes from long distances and is of lower quality than what we ourselves can produce.  We have regularly maintained livestock on campus – at one point swine, and now egg-producing chickens. Our chickens are fed cafeteria scraps as well as nutritional supplements, and reward us by providing farm-fresh eggs every day. All cafeteria scraps, animal waste, and horse manure from local equestrian centers that is brought to campus are used to create compost for our organic farming program. Future plans envision a fish farm, expanding our organic farm to the point of providing a surplus of food and there bye sell organic products to the community, and incorporating a variety of other livestock to our program. We are continuously looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption. Mostly due to air-conditioning expenses, it is a serious matter in our climate. We welcome ideas and thoughts from parents, local businesses and others who may have knowledge of new technologies in these areas. |
